


Orpheus, Narcissus, and The No Good Very Bad Day

by acegalahads



Category: The Mechanisms (Band), Ulysses Dies at Dawn - The Mechanisms (Album)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not A Fix-It, Pre-Canon, Short One Shot, but not enough to warrant it being tagged, there are a couple references to Eurydice's death and Narcissus being sent to an asylum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28163214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acegalahads/pseuds/acegalahads
Summary: I asked for fic ideas and a friend on Discord suggested "Orpheus" and "maybe him trying to get out of work in ridiculous ways" and this was NOT supposed to get angsty but alas, it did anyways
Relationships: Narcissus/Orpheus (Ulysses Dies at Dawn)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Orpheus, Narcissus, and The No Good Very Bad Day

**Author's Note:**

> Here's [my tumblr.](https://oh-peacemaker.tumblr.com)

“What exactly do you think you’re doing, old thing?”

“Help me make this look like an accident.”

There were several reasons why Orpheus dodged the question, but the most important one was that he simply didn’t know the answer. He was trying to escape work, but after breaking his foot, arm, wrist, and several toes, he was running out of body parts and was having to get creative. Maybe if he just made it  _ look _ like something horrible had happened, he wouldn’t have to go, the only problem was figuring out what that horrible thing would be.

Narcissus sighed.

“Orpheus, come here.”

Orpheus froze. If Narcissus had just told him to come he probably wouldn’t have. But… had Narcissus ever used his name before? Orpheus’s heart nearly stopped, but now it was almost beating out of his chest and he had no clue why. His face was flushed and he did what he was told, putting down the piece of sheet metal he was holding.

“Good. Now, old thing, I’ll call in and say you’re sick and lost your voice, then we can take the day off.” Narcissus brushed a lock of hair out of Orpheus’s face - causing him to blush an even brighter red - and turned to go, linking his arm in Orpheus’s, who gladly followed.

“...it seems to be a sudden thing, like a bug…” Orpheus was wrapped in blankets, sitting on the floor of his friend’s drawing room, only half listening to the conversation Narcissus was having on the phone. “...no, I don’t know where he caught it…” Every time he tried to listen he just ended up flushed and embarrassed and  _ guilty  _ \- and he didn’t know why. “...no, he can’t speak to anyone, he’s lost his voice…” Usually in times like this, his mind would wander back to Eurydice... but now he felt like he wasn’t even worthy of thinking of her.

She’d understand, she must understand, everyone was a little bit in love with Narcissus, after all.

But he wasn’t.

He was sure that he wasn’t.

He just wasn’t used to being cared for anymore, that must be it.

Narcissus had ended the phone call and had a cup of tea made for him, Orpheus just looked up at him blankly.

Narcissus didn’t try to speak, he knew well enough not to, and Orpheus was grateful for this. Instead he just sat next to him and pulled the blankets around them both. Orpheus leaned into him.

Orpheus would have been able to start to move on from Eurydice that day, if things had been a little different. But he didn’t, and maybe that’s a good thing. Everyone knows the story of how Narcissus fell from grace, and the last thing Orpheus needed was another lover with a tragic fate.


End file.
